Five Types of Amendment
In chapter 5 it was said that there were five types of amendment. This chapter looks at each in turn.
1. Amendment to add words (rider or addendum)
An amendment which seeks to add words to the original motion is called a rider or addendum. A rider may be an additional paragraph, sentence, phrase, or merely one word, which someone wants to tack on to the original motion. It can be inserted at any part of the original motion, providing it preserves the sense of the motion.
Moving an amendment
To illustrate the procedure on a rider, here is an example of a motion which has been moved and seconded at a union branch meeting: ‘That this branch is opposed to the Government’s proposals for changes in the law on industrial relations, believing them to be an attack on the legitimate rights of trade unions and workers’. A member who considers that the motion is only a ‘pious’ one (because it suggests no action) may propose a rider, by seeking to add at the end ‘and calls upon the Trades Union Congress to organise industrial action to secure their defeat’. The chair should then ask ‘Does anyone second the amendment?’ If someone does so, the chair should announce ‘The amendment is open for discussion’.
Voting on an amendment
The mover and seconder of the original motion may wish to accept the rider without it being put to the vote. But the motion is the property of the meeting as a whole, not just the mover and seconder, and it would be wrong for the chair to add the rider to the motion without asking the members generally what they think about it. Some of those present may be quite willing to vote for the original motion by itself, but not for the original motion plus the rider. The proper course is for the chair, as soon as the rider is moved and seconded, to ask whether anybody objects to the amendment being added to the original motion. Even if only one member objects, the rider must be debated and put to the vote, like any other amendment. Of course, if nobody objects the rider may be added at once.
In the case of dissent, the debate proceeds on the rider and, after giving the mover of the original motion the right of reply, finally the chair will put the question. They say: ‘The original motion is “That this branch is opposed to the Government’s proposals for changes in the law on industrial relations, believing them to be an attack on the legitimate rights of trade unions and workers”. An amendment has been moved to add to the original motion the words: “and calls upon the Trades Union Congress to organise industrial action to secure their defeat.”. All those in favour of the amendment please show’.
If the majority vote for the amendment they announce: ‘The amendment is carried.’ If, on the other hand, the majority are against it, they declare: ‘The amendment is lost’.
In putting the question, the chair should refer only to the amendment, not to the original motion, because it is the amendment on which members are voting. Similarly when a vote has taken place and an amendment has been carried, the chair should not say ‘The original motion is lost.’
Voting on the main question
Whether an amendment is carried or lost, it is still open to anyone else in the meeting to propose another amendment, unless the standing orders or customary procedures require notice to have been given before the first amendment is put. To continue with the previous example, the amendment calling for strike action has been defeated and a further amendment has been carried. If no further amendments are put forward, the chair will put the successful amendment (now added to the original motion, and called a substantive or amended motion) as the main question. They will say ‘The original motion as amended is: “That this branch is opposed to the Government’s proposals for changes in the law on industrial relations, believing them to be an attack on the legitimate rights of trade unions and workers, and calls upon the Trades Union Congress to secure an undertaking from the Labour Party that the legislation will be repealed upon Labour’s return to office.” All those in favour of this as an amended motion please show’.
The votes would then be taken for and against, and if carried, the amended motion would become a resolution. If the amendment had been defeated on the first vote, and no further amendments had been moved, the motion would, of course, be put in its original form as the main question. This procedure applies to all the examples given later.
2. Amendment to delete words
As an illustration of the procedure on an amendment to delete words, the following motion might be moved and seconded: ‘That the Queenstown Labour Party is concerned at the parlous financial situation of the Labour Party nationally, and urges the National Executive Committee to conduct an urgent investigation into the state of the Party’s finances. It also calls for annual membership contributions to be raised to £7.50’.
This motion does three things: expresses concern at the Party’s financial situation; calls for an investigation into it; and seeks a prescribed increase in subcriptions. A member who believes that, although the general principles of the motion are correct, the current contribution rate is about right might say: ‘I move an amendment that all words after “Party’s finances” be deleted.’
Voting on the deletion
The amendment would then be seconded and discussed, after which the mover of the original motion would have the right of reply. After the mover’s reply, the chair would say: ‘The original motion is (and read the original motion); the amendment is to delete all words after “Party’s finances.”’
The vote would then be taken for and against the amendment. If it was carried, the original motion would be altered accordingly, and would then be called the amended (or substantive) motion. If it was not further amended, it would be put again in the same form, this time as the main question. In doing this the chair would say, ‘The amended motion is: “That the Queenstown Labour Party is concerned at the parlous financial situation of the Labour Party nationally, and urges the National Executive Committee to conduct an urgent investigation into the state of the Party’s finances.” All those in favour of this as an amended motion.’
If carried, it would then become a resolution. If, on the other hand, the amendment was defeated on the first vote, the original motion would be open to further amendment, and would be finally put as the main question, either in its original or amended form.
Amendments must be in sequence
It was pointed out in chapter 5 that when an amendment has been moved to alter the latter part of a motion no amendment can be moved later in the discussion to alter the first part. In the case of the motion above, which fell into three parts, the amendment was moved to the third part. The fact that this amendment was moved, accepted by the chair, and put to the vote, would prevent anybody moving an amendment to the first or second parts later on during the debate.
It does not matter whether the amendment to the last half was carried or not. Even if it was lost, no amendment could then be moved to any word or words in the original motion in front of the word ‘finances’ – not even the alteration of one word could be permitted.
3. Amendment to substitute words
The third category of amendment is the deletion of certain words only from the original motion, and the substitution of certain other words. For example, the following motion might be moved and seconded at a tenants’ association: ‘That this Association believes that the condition of property on the estate is deplorable, and requests the District Council to take action to improve the situation.’
Some of those present might believe that the motion does not go to the heart of the problem. They might therefore move an amendment: ‘To delete all words after “Council” on line three and substitute the following: “to act to prevent vandalism by installing entryphones to tower blocks.”’
Voting on amendment to substitute
In putting the question, the chair would say: ‘The original motion is (here reading the motion in full); the amendment is: “To delete all words after “Council” on line three and substitute the following: “to act to prevent vandalism by installing entryphones to tower blocks.”’
They would then take the vote and, if the majority voted in favour of the amendment, the chair would then put it as a substantive motion. they would say, ‘The amended motion is: “That this Association believes that the condition of property on the estate is deplorable, and requests the District Council to act to prevent vandalism by installing entryphones to tower blocks”’.
The vote would then be taken and the amended motion, if passed, would become a resolution.
4. Counter amendments or substitute motions
So far this chapter has concentrated on how to deal with amendments in a formal and fairly rigid manner. This is the right course where the meeting is a large one and where motions have been circulated in writing beforehand. But in smaller meetings, motions may arise from the discussion and even the chair may not be sure of the exact words. Take the previous example about housing maintenance. If the motion was not in writing it might be less confusing if the proposal to amend the motion were put as a counter-amendment or substitute for the original motion. So there would then be two rival motions. The original motion was: ‘That this Association believes that the condition of property on the estate is deplorable, and requests the District Council to take action to improve the situation.’
The substitute motion would be: ‘That this Association requests that the District Council act to prevent vandalism by installing entryphones to tower blocks.’
Voting on substitute motion
The chair would then take the vote by asking for those in favour of the substitute motion and those in favour of the original motion. After this vote had been taken, the chair would have to put the winner, whether it was the substitute or the original motion, to the vote again as the main question for the reasons laid down above.
5. Amendment to an amendment
The debate on an amendment may reveal weaknesses in the amendment itself which, if removed, would make the amendment superior to the motion itself. But how can they be removed? Is it best to wait until the amendment has been voted on, and then move a further amendment to the surviving motion which will retain the good points of the amendment while omitting its defects? The problem about following this course is the danger that any subsequent attempt to amend might be ruled out of order as being substantially the same as the previous amendment. The best way is to move an amendment to the amendment. Such amendments may be moved at any time before the amendment under discussion is put to the vote.
The amendment on housing used earlier can illustrate the procedure on an amendment to an amendment. It requested the District Council to install entryphone to tower blocks. Another member may agree that this is an improvement, but that it requires strengthening. They therefore say, ‘I move that we amend the amendment to read: “demands that the District Council act urgently to prevent vandalism by installing entryphone to tower blocks and by appointing resident caretakers.”’
When this is seconded the amendment to the amendment is open to discussion.
In such a situation the first amendment take the place of the original motion because the amendment to the amendment is challenging the right of the first amendment to be put against the original motion. The first amendment should therefore be treated as though it was the original motion except that the mover of the amendment has no right of reply. The chair should explain this procedure, so that the members will understand what is going to be done.
Voting on an amendment to an amendment
After the subject has been discussed, the chair, in putting the question, says: ‘The first amendment is: “That this Association believes that the condition of property on the estate is deplorable, and requests the District Council act to prevent vandalism by installing entryphones to tower blocks.“ Since then an amendment has been moved to alter the amendment, so that it will read: “That this Association demands that the District Council act urgently to prevent vandalism by installing entryphone to tower blocks and by appointing resident caretakers.” All those in favour of these words being substituted for the first amendment please show.’
After the vote, the original motion comes back into the debate again, and discussion proceeds on the surviving amendment which will challenge the right of the motion to stand as the main question. It is now treated as an ordinary amendment and at the end of the debate the mover of the original motion replies to the discussion. The vote is then taken for and against the amendment as described above. If it is lost it is finished with, but if it is carried it is put finally to the vote as the main question.